


Promises

by spideyunderoos



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, F/M, Michelle Jones Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Sad Ending, i’m sorry ok, tiny bit of fluff if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 12:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20724035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideyunderoos/pseuds/spideyunderoos
Summary: Promises are meant to be broken and he proved it right.





	Promises

Peter’s love for saving people was something she truly admired. He was so selfless and carefree. Of course, mj hated that he blew her off all the time but he did it for the greater good. He did it to help those who can’t help themselves. He was so selfless and he got caught up in it.

The round ship was soaring high in the sky and Peter had eyes wider than mj had ever seen before. She took one look at the sky outside of the bus window and knew. He had to help the city. she and Ned caused a distraction after Peter had promised she’d call her later.

The call never came.

The call didn’t come and instead, she was surrounded by people turning to ash. Just, vanishing. People she knew and loved and cared about, just turning to ash and panic set in. She called and called and called and EDITH never answered. Peter didn’t answer. It was silent. Nothing.

Days had passed and no one knew what happened. No one knew for sure, anyway. But, mj was finding out because May came to talk to her. She told her that Tony Stark had come and told her that Peter was one of the people who had turned to ash. He went to fight with him. Tony tried to get Peter to stay on Earth and stay close to the ground but, Peter liked to help people. He wanted to be like Tony Stark. So, he hid on the ship and went to space. That was it.

And everything felt like it had crumbled. One of her parents were gone, one of her close friends, family from all over. And now, she had to find out that Peter, the one person who should have been able to fight whatever happened, was one of those taken. Gone.

However, Tony and the remaining Avengers were determined people. They figured out a way to get everyone back. People started just turning up again and it was like some sort of insane miracle. her mom showed up and then her best friend. Phone calls and text messages from family poured in that they were all turning up. The news played of happiness, everyone just showing up and it all felt a little too good to be true. She thought it was but then her phone rang.

“MJ?”

Her heart jumped to her throat and tears swelled. “Peter!”

she went to Peter’s that night he called. It’d been months since he’d disappeared with everyone else but it felt like time had just stood still while he was gone. He hugged her and she swore he was going to break her with his strength but not an ounce of her cared because she had him back. Mj got to have Peter back and all she wanted to do was cry and hug him, never let go. But everyone has to let go.

“I’m so sorry.” Peter apologizes, his arms still holding onto her.

“It’s okay, Pete.” she said, a crack in her voice as she bury her head in his shoulder.

“No,” Peter whispers and he pulls away, eyes brimming with tears and there’s no longer that innocent glint in his eyes.

She shake her head and her forehead creases in disbelief, a hint of betrayal. “Parker.”

“I-I-I have to. I’m so sorry.” Peter says and he means it.

He always means it. He’s always sorry for hurting her but is he really sorry this time? He died and he’s already apologizing because he’s going right back out there. Why can't he just give it a break for two seconds? Let things just cool off. Think about how she feel for once instead of everyone else? He died and he should take a break. People everywhere died. The Avengers can handle this one and she doesn’t understand why he just has to go out.

“No, you don’t.” she whines and her lip quivers with the ache of her heart. “You….you. I just got you back.”

“I know.” Peter’s voice is just above a whisper. “B-but I can’t give this up and t-they need the help.”

“They brought back half of the damn world. They can do this themselves, too. Peter, please.” she plead and she grip the front of his shirt in desperation.

A lump forms in Peter’s throat as a tear falls down his cheek. He can hear her heartbeat thump and feel her pulse become more erratic. He can sense what she feels on top of what he feels and it kills him. “I love you so much.” Peter says like the thousand times he said it before, but this time it sounded more desperate.

“I love you, too.” It’s a whine that falls from her throat because she knows he told her because of what happened and what he’s afraid is going to happen.

“I’m sorry, mj” Peter said with tears falling in his eyes.

He does love her, he’s loved her for a long time. He does now because the next day he’s going out and he already didn’t come home, he may not come back again. It’s a terrible game he’s playing with fate.

Peter didn’t come home. He didn’t come back. Her biggest fear had come true and it’s not fair. When Peter didn’t answer her call, she brushed it off because maybe it’s like last time. When EDITH didn’t answer, she brushed it off because maybe it’s like last time. May hadn’t called. Tony wasn’t showing up at her front door. She brushed it off because maybe he forgot to tell EDITH to call her back or answer when he’s fighting again. Because maybe it just got rough because there’s no way he could die again.

But he did.

It wasn’t Tony Stark that showed up at her door. It wasn’t May or Ned. It was Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. himself. When he showed up, it threw her because why the hell would Nick Fury be at her door? The only ones she’d met was Tony and as far as she knew, Peter only kind of met Nick when he sneaked into his hotel room in venice.

“I’m sorry.” Nick said as he stood in the opening of her home.

“Where’s Peter?” she asked and her voice doesn’t even sound like her own because she knew. There’s that gnawing at the pit of her stomach and she just know.

“His aunt asked me to tell you.” Nick said with a softness in his words but sadness in his eyes. “He’s gone.”

“Gone?” she asked and the denial is running through her veins because how does someone die twice? What kind of sick and twisted joke is that?

“Things went wrong and he went to help Tony.” Nick shakes his head, regaining himself. “He didn’t make it. He died trying to save Tony.”

Nick sounds like a cop explaining the story with minimal detail and she can’t tell if it’s because he doesn’t know her, because he doesn’t think she should know, or because he can’t bear to actually give her details. But, maybe that’s for the best. Maybe she shouldn’t know exactly how Peter died, just that he did so trying to protect someone. Trying to protect someone he truly cared about and looked up to. At the end of the day, it’s not how someone dies that matters. It’s that they’re gone.

What is she supposed to do when the one way she was always able to contact someone no longer works? What does she do when she realize that’s just it?

A phone call. That’s how they always talked. Peter always said he’d be a phone call away no matter what. If he were in a fight, on a mission, even sleeping. Peter would be a phone call away. Sure, sometimes that meant she actually just talked to EDITH and listened to whatever Peter had told her to tell her but it was something. It was a phone call and a security that Peter was on the other end but he couldn’t speak at that moment. He would be able to later.

He was always able to later which is what’s so devasting because all she can do is lay in bed or sit on their fire escape with tears in her eyes as she remembers the promise Peter couldn’t keep.

“Are you okay?” Peter asks, sitting at the end of their bed as she help him bandage up a cut on his arm.

She nods, pushing away the gnawing in her stomach. “Yeah, should be asking you that.” she gives him a fake smile but he doesn’t return it.

“What’s wrong?” Peter asks and he stares at her with big eyes filled with warmth and life, innocence and curiosity.

“You get hurt a lot.” she says so softly that if it weren’t for Peter’s heightened hearing, he wouldn't have been able to hear her.

“Yeah,” Peter starts. “But...I’m okay. I’m always okay.” Peter states quickly.

“But what if you’re not?” she argued, a sense of frustration running through her.

Mj never asks him to give it up but sometimes, it’s like he doesn’t understand her worry. She worries about him day in and day out and he doesn’t seem to realize it. Or maybe he does but he chooses to deny it for his own sanity.

Peter’s heart sinks and there are sometimes he hates being Spider-Man and it’s always moments like these, the moments where his sanity takes a back seat because he knows she’s scared for him.

“I-I-I will be.” Peter rushes his words. “You can call and if I can’t answer, EDITH will and she’ll tell you I’m fine. I promise.” Peter rambles quickly and his eyes are almost desperate but still wide and innocent.

“Promise, promise?” She asks, double checking that at least she’ll have some form of security at midnight when she haven’t heard from him.

“Promise.” Peter grins, hands on her hips and slightly swaying her.

She smiled back with a sense of false security.

She swore up and down as she looked at the sky because that seems to be the only time she feels like she’s talking to Peter. If he’s out there, somewhere, she just want him to know she’s pissed. Mj is pissed because peter left her and he made a promise he couldn’t keep. Promised he’d be a phone call away but phone calls don’t work when one person isn’t even on the face of the planet anymore. When one doesn’t even have a heartbeat.

It hurts every day to look at a blue sky and have to curse at whoever or whatever is up there and took Peter away from her. Twice. It’s like a sick joke someone is playing and she can’t stand it. She just wants him back.

Death and that villain took away her hero, her love, and her best friend. They took away the one person that meant the entire world to her and to say she was beyond heartbroken would be an understatement.

She didn’t leave her room for weeks. She barely ate, barely showered, hardly ever talked other than to the sky. Talking to the sky because maybe Peter can hear her and it’s not real. Everything just felt numb and dull, the blue skies were grey and it was like she just moved in slow motion.

She caught glimpses of the news and every once in a while, a reporter would say something about Spider-Man. She always walked away because yes, they can say they miss him and how much the city needs him but they didn’t know him. They didn’t know him like she did. But that’s the thing. They didn’t know him like she did and she knows that Peter would be feeling guilty. If there’s a way for him to see her, he’d feel guilty with her screaming at the skies and telling him off. But, he’d be disappointed.

He’d be disappointed because she should get up. Get up and do something.

So, she finally do.

“Are these your old webshooters?” she giggles, fiddling with the makeshift shooter.

“Uh...oh...um….” Peter stutters, cheeks turning the pretty shade of red she adores. “Yeah.” He says sheepishly.

“You made them?” She asks and she looks amused but interested and impressed.

“Yep.” Peter says and he gains a little confidence in his smile.

“How do they work?”

Peter’s entire face lights up with his eyes going big and doe-eyed. Peter loves talking about things he makes. Formulas, webshooters, computers, whatever he can get his hands on, fix up, and put together. Peter could talk her ear off about it all and considering she, Ned, and May were the only people besides Tony Stark who knew about Peter being Spider-Man, Peter was itching to ramble about his webshooters.

Sure, the ones with the Spider-Man suit he got from Tony are way better but the ones he made are incredible. She remembered watching the YouTube videos of him saving people. These were the webshooters he used. These little things he put together from spare parts and what looks to be some type of woodwind instrument. He’s a genius and he never seizes to amaze her.

“You’re incredible, Peter Parker.” She beamed at him as he showed her how they worked and how the web fluid cartridges attach.

“Y-you really think so?” Peter asks with genuine curiosity.

“Of course.” She smiles sweetly and peck his cheek. “You wanna tell me about the formula?”

“Yes, yeah, yeah.” Peter nearly bounces as he rushes to his notebook and flips the recent formula.

She’s not Peter. She’s not Spider-Man. She doesn’t have powers or superhuman strength. She’s just herself but to hell if she’s gonna sit around and let Peter’s death be some sort of waste.

Mj called May and asked if she could have Peter’s old webshooters. She was a little confused but agreed to let her have them. She let her have a few of Peter’s things after the funeral had taken place but she never actually asked or talked much after. It’s just hard. But it did feel good to see her when she got the webshooters and she knows that Peter would want her to keep in touch. So, she makes sure to add that to her list of things to do.

Peter made everything look easy but she wasn’t someone who gave up and it was pure luck Peter happened to leave his notebook at the coffee table containing one of the formulas at their place. A genius he was? Yes. Forgetful? Also, yes. It wasn’t his most recently modified formula but it would work.

She followed it exactly and after hours of deciphering Peter’s chicken scratch handwriting and putting everything together, her room became decorated in homemade webbing.

It took a few months of secretly practicing in an abandoned warehouse but she were able to get the hang of the webshooters and the movements she needed to make. She wasn’t nearly as agile as Peter and she didn’t have the strength he did but it’d work. She put together a suit like his homemade one and she knows it’s dangerous. She doesn’t have the protection Peter did but it’s what she can do and it’s helping her cope with him not being here. He isn’t here anymore. Someone has to do something and that someone might as well be mj. 

“Hey, Parker.” Mj whispered, kneeling on the grass. “You’d totally kill me for this but you’d kill me for doing nothing, too.” She state. “But, in my defense, I asked you not to go so if something happens, it’s kind of on you.” A wind gust comes and blows leaves around her which was probably a coincidence but she'll choose not to believe that. “You died. Again. And you’re not coming back this time and it sucks without you here but I’ll suck it up...for you.” She squint as she looks at the sky. “And I’ll make you proud so don’t be too mad with me following your footsteps.”

She stood up and tugged at the strap of her backpack, pulling it in front of her. She opened the zipper revealing the blue and red clothing she'd put together and a few flowers she had dyed to match the color of Spider-Man. She pulled out the flowers and placed them on top of the stone that read “Peter Benjamin Parker”. The stone is cold beneath her fingertips as the flowers balance and tears brim from her eyes. Her throat constricts and it takes everything in her not to let out a cry.

“I love you so much, Peter Parker. I’m sorry.”


End file.
